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TRANS+

LOVE, SEX, ROMANCE, AND BEING YOU

Honest, inclusive, and essential.

A comprehensive guide for transgender teens.

Without access to resources, growing up as a transgender person can feel isolating. However, the authors emphasize that transgender people exist as “part of a strong, important global history.” In this handbook for navigating young adulthood as a transgender person, debut author Gonzales and Rayne (Girl, 2017, etc.) organize the chapters into six sections: an introduction to gender, dysphoria, and coming out; body development and reproduction; paths for transitioning; strategies for dating, building healthy relationships, and identifying unhealthy patterns; sexual activity and health; and confronting challenges in other aspects of life like school and work. Each chapter includes diary entries from trans people of varying identities and backgrounds. The authors also chime in with their own personal reflections. Quirky portraits of each contributor accompany the diary entries and author reflections. A conversational tone makes the content more engaging and approachable. Along the way, Gonzales and Rayne stress that certain topics may be triggering or exacerbate dysphoria for readers, so they encourage skipping parts or replacing terminology that feels uncomfortable with more affirming words as a means of self-care. Every chapter ends with additional trans-centered resources. While the guide covers a broad range of topics, a central theme unites them: Transgender people of all identities have their own valuable narratives to share that are deserving of respect.

Honest, inclusive, and essential. (dictionary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4338-2983-3

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association

Review Posted Online: June 17, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

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THE NEW QUEER CONSCIENCE

From the Pocket Change Collective series

Small but mighty necessary reading.

A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.

Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.

Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: June 2, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

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A QUEER HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.

An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).

Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.

Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: June 11, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Beacon Press

Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019

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